Kowloon Cult Watcher

A record of media consumed, lightly reviewed

[kowlooncultwatch]

Killer Workout, 1987 This was not good.

[kowlooncultwatch]

Creep, 2014 I generally don't like found footage because the shaky camera stuff isn't for me. However CREEP is pretty dang good. I wish they would've used just a bit of steadicam, especially because the premise of the film is that Duplass' character is hiring a videographer so it would not be out of place.

[kowlooncultwatch]

The Lighthouse, 2019

Glad I caught it in theaters!

[kowlooncultwatch]

The Witch, 2015 This was a good one.

[kowlooncultwatch]

Skinner, 1995

Pretty good creeper/slasher starting Ted Raimi and Traci Lords.

[kowlooncultwatch]

Blood Beat, 1983

A strange French-US created horror film. The story has several strange turns, and basically none of it makes sense. It was still fun and I’d recommend it!

[kowlooncultwatch]

The Final, 2010 Just a terrible movie.

[kowlooncultwatch]

Angst, 1983 A German-language thriller about a troubled man looking for fame. This film contains an excellent performance by lead Erwin Leder. The cinematography is also very interesting though I’m not sure I actually liked it. It fit the film perfectly and capture’s the frantic nature of Leder’s character but it’s definitely an acquired taste.

[kowlooncultwatch]

Jack’s Back, 1988 A great little thriller, the directorial debut of Rowdy Herrington (who went on to direct Road House!) stars James Spader playing twin brothers in a vaguely neo-noir thriller in late ‘80s Los Angeles. I liked this movie a lot! The ever-talented Spader knocks it out as his two characters with a supporting cast of some fun people (Robert Picardo of Star Trek: Voyager fame, and Chris Mulkey of Twin Peaks). Overall a good one, recommend!

[kowlooncultwatch]

Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, 1989 I thought to myself “It’s Halloween, why not watch a horror film.” So naturally last night I choose Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. I like this one, though like Texas Chain Saw Massacre naming issue, this one should really be called “Jason Rides a Boat” since he does that more than any taking of Manhattan. One of my favorites in the series!

[kowlooncultwatch]

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, 1974 Look I get that this is an iconic film, defined many genre conventions, and has some really interesting cinematography but dang it they should have called it the “Texas Bonked-on-the-head-with-a-hammer Massacre” because only one poor youth is actually chainsawed while three are bonked on the head with a hammer!  I was actually fairly lukewarm about the film until the last six minutes where things really get out of control. The end is just completely nuts and really made the experience worth it. Also there’s no credits music which is real creepy and good.

[kowlooncultwatch]

Crime Zone, 1989 This movie is…not good. The pacing is bad, the acting is bad. The sets are dark and dingy. It’s kind of a rip on Judge Dredd but with less good costumes. Great soundtrack! I still mostly had fun though.

[kowlooncultwatch]

Nekrotronic, 2018 I enjoyed this Australian film about necromancer demon-hunters. It had some good A-Team and Hellboy vibes. Good cast, solid fun. Recommend!!

[kowlooncultwatch]

The Terrornauts, 1967

An Amicus production (one of my fave british 60s-70s horror film companies), this sci-fi film is terrible. The end makes really no sense. I kinda liked it. The title “terrornauts” is wildly misleading, if only it’d been saved for something cool!

[kowlooncultwatch]

Child’s Play, 2019 Child’s Play 2019 version makes some interesting choices about our classic antagonist, Chucky. He is now an AI smart doll house helper toy. It’s...less good. Aubrey Plaza is the mom in this movie which since it’s Aubrey Plaza, I enjoyed. Everything else was pretty so-so. I’m just not sure this remake was needed.

[kowlooncultwatch]

Devil, 2010 A film people having a bad day in an elevator. Created from a story by M. Night Shyamalan this film turned out pretty good! It has some great shots in it, and I really liked the opening sequence of the classic “NYC flyover” except it’s all upside down. This was cool and effective. recommend!

[kowlooncultwatch]

Child’s Play, 1988 The original “Chucky” film. It’s just fine! I liked the 80s Chicago setting more than anything else.